Withered
by PsycoDelilah
Summary: What if I rewrote MCSM's story to simply be a romantic coming-of-age novel? Lukas has to deal with the stress of having two fighting parents and the responsibility of a ten-year-old brother, causing his emotions to slowly wither away. Jesse, who has somehow fallen in love with him, then takes matters into her own hands and end up saving him... from himself. (TRIGGER WARNING!)
1. Episode One-Chapter One

**Chapter One-If We Were Still In Middle School, None of This Would've Happened**

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_My name's Lukas. I'm in high school now. I know, I know, it's hard to believe. Just months ago I was one of the top dogs at BeaconTown Middle School. Now I'm a newbie. A nobody._

Lukas glared at the first two lines of his essay. _What kind of teacher gives an essay on the first day of school?_

"I would like you to write me an essay describing your life up to now," his ELAR teacher had commanded, sounding as if she hated each one of her students already.

His eyes roamed around the sparsely decorated room, desperate for a distraction.

He caught Jesse's eye. She flicked her tongue out at him and turned her focus back to her essay, which was almost completed. He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance and tried to think of a way to sugarcoat his life, coming up blank.

Between the stress of two eternally-fighting parents and the responsibility of taking care of a ten-year-old, he had a lot on his plate. So, he always walked around looking bored and defeated. "What's wrong?" sympathetic adults on the streets cooed to him, even though they couldn't care less.

His peers didn't care. They had their own problems. Well, except for Jesse. She seemed to always be willing to listen to him, to stop him from doing something stupid.

He brushed a loose blonde hair away from his eyes, exhaling in annoyance. He had no idea what he would write. Still, he picked up his pencil and decided to make something up. Or at least, tell a story of half-truths.

_I've lived in BeaconTown my whole life. I was born here, raised by my mother and father. Apparently, I was always meant to be a soldier, a brave hero who fought for his rights. But, I had other plans._

When Lukas told Jesse that his parents wanted him to become a soldier, she looked him in the eyes and ordered, "No. I know you want to be a writer, so be a writer!"

He smirked at the memory. Jesse cared about him a lot more then she let on. He could tell.

_As a child, my teachers raved about my "linguistic talent" and my "unmeasurable creativity" and my "way with words." It was pretty obvious I was going to be an author. _

_I've lived a pretty normal life so far. But, will high school change that?_

He read over his anecdote, which used only took up seven lines on the page set in front of him. He believed, though, that his autobiography packed a heavy punch.

After reflecting for a quick moment, he realized that the last sentence he had written showed perfectly his outlook on high school so far.


	2. Episode One-Chapter Two

**Chapter Two-Remembering the Good Old Days**

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**Chapter dedicated to Ayesha! Thanks for the support ^-^**

Jesse had known Lukas since First Grade, when they were paired together for a science fair project. Their teacher had paced up to the front of the room, surveyed the room, and announced, "I have signed you all up to participate in the school science fair."

She then proceeded to explain the details, and concluded with, "I will be choosing your partners."

Groans echoed through the classroom. Jesse fidgeted in her desk nervously until her name was called. "Jesse, you will be with Lukas." _Who's Lukas? _She wondered.

Lukas was the kind of person who kept their head down and got on, quietly, with life. He didn't want any extra attention. He didn't need it. And even as a kid, he knew that. When the teacher announced his partner, he glanced at Jesse.

She looked utterly confused. _Of course. Why would she know me? _But of course, he knew her. There was no way he couldn't. She had this _grace, _this sort of _glow _that made all of the other kids in his grade _pale in comparison._

She paced up to his desk nervously. He didn't notice until she tapped him impatiently on the shoulder. He then proceeded to shyly express his ideas for their project. And she had liked all of them.

He sat through the rest of the class in silence, not bothering to pull a book out; He would have no interest in it. The bell rang with three loud tolls, and he hurried out of class, slinging his generic black backpack over his shoulder as he did.

Then, as he strolled down the hallway, he felt someone file in beside him. "Hi, Lukas!" Jesse grinned in her usual chipper manner. "Hey," he replied half-heartedly, amused at how excited she seemed to be. They made their way to their next class in silence, until suddenly Jesse stopped and went rigid. "Jesse, what's-?"

The Ocelots were circling Jesse as if she were fresh meat.


	3. Episode One-Chapter Three

**Chapter Three-True Devotion**

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**Hey guys! Before we get on to the fanfic, I need to say a few things!**

**First, thank you to everyone who is showing support for this story! Honestly, of all of my fanfics, I didn't expect this one to get the most attention.**

**Also, I'm not very interested in this story anymore. I have lots of other stories that take place in this AU that are way better and that I'm more proud of. But, this story is getting lots of love, so I thought, ****_Why not continue it? _****So yeah. Here goes! By the way, I have no idea where I was going with this story, so if this new chapter seems a little different from the previous ones, that may be why!**

**If you want me to continue, please leave a review! If no one likes it, I'm obviously not going to finish it XD**

**Note: This chapter begins as a flashback that Jesse is having about meeting Lukas for the first time.**

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"_Who's that? Your girlfriend?" Aiden sneered, bending down to meet Jesse's eyes. His eyes glinted dangerously. "Shut up, Aiden," Lukas snapped, glaring at his fellow Ocelot. "Or what?" Lukas gritted his teeth, unable to conjure up a good reply. _

_Gill chuckled childishly. "W- Who are they?" Jesse whispered to Lukas, who was standing protectively over her. "The Ocelots. My… Friends…" He replied ruefully. _

_Maya grinned manically, staring Jesse straight in the eye. "Scram, kid. You don't belong here," she hissed, shoving Lukas out of the way and stalking up to her and poking a long fingernail at her chest. _

"_Go away, Maya," Lukas commanded, shoving her back. She stumbled to regain her balance, glaring at her leader as she did. "C'mon guys. It's not worth it. Let's go," Aiden suggested, already turning to leave. Maya nodded in agreement and followed suit. Gill silently complied. _

All in all, the day that Jesse and Lukas had met was an interesting one. But, that day gave her the kindest person she had ever met.

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"Lukas!" Jesse called to him, dashing down the hallway of Beacontown High and waving frantically to her best friend. Lukas sighed in embarrassment as Jesse caught up to him and slipped her hand into his.

"Hi," she finished, looking up at him and grinning happily. That smile eventually melted into a frown as she realized that he wasn't going to return it. "Lukas," she muttered, "You never smile anymore. Are you ok?" "Jesse," he replied, exasperated, "Of course I'm ok. I'm just a little… Stressed… And confused."

"J- Just remember that I'm always here for you if you need me," Jesse murmured, squeezing his hand reassuringly.


	4. Episode One-Chapter Four

**Chapter Four-She Likes Me, Huh?**

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**Hi guys! It's Delilah again! **

**You know, It's always nice when the only negative reviews I get are reviews saying that the chapters are too short XD But, I sadly plan on posting mostly short chapters. Because of this, though, I will post more. About one every day. **

**Agh I just noticed this chapter is terrible. I mean, I did write it all at like midnight.**

**Lastly, this story is supposed to be fairly short, so yeah. Don't get your hopes up lol**

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After a stressful first day of high school, Lukas finally returned home.

"Why don't you just pay the bills already?" He heard his mother scream shrilly as soon as he walked in the door. "I would if we could afford to!" His father roared in return, picking up a porcelain plate from their dinner table and chucking it across the room.

It hit the wall opposite of him and smashed into a million pieces. Lukas silently crept through the entry hall and into his brother's bedroom, ignoring the insufferable bickering erupting from the other room.

"Hey," he greeted, a forced smirk on his face as he strolled into his brother's room and flopped down onto his bed. Flint was bobbing his head to the music blasting through his headphones. He was obviously trying to block out his parents' earsplitting ratchet.

As soon as he saw his big brother, though, he removed his headphones and grinned ear-to-ear. "Hi Lukas!" he exclaimed. Various profanities leaked through the walls, breaking the silence. "You wanna- Umm- Go to the park?" Lukas suggested, a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

"Yes! Yes!" - replied, bursting off the bed and running to get his shoes. Lukas chuckled to himself. _What did I do to deserve such an innocent brother? _He wondered.

"Hey Jesse?" Lukas began, holding his phone up to his ear. "Me and Flint are gonna go to the park if you want to meet us there?" "Of course, Lukas! I'll be right there!" She replied immediately. He could almost see the happiness on her face. His finger hovered over the _hang up _button.

"Lukas…" Jesse suddenly murmured, catching him off guard. "Yeah-?" "Thanks for inviting me. I really appreciate it."

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As soon as Lukas called her, she had swung her hair into a ponytail, shoved her phone, keys, and wallet into her bag, and set off for the local park. "I'll be right back, mom!" Jesse called to her mother, who was cooking dinner, as she dashed out the door. "Stay safe!" she replied, as she always did.

As soon as she got onto the sidewalk, Jesse fished her phone out from her purse and dialed Lukas' number. "Hey Lukas! I'm on my way!" she exclaimed as her phone went to voicemail. She sighed as she hung up. "Why doesn't he call me anymore?" "Jesse! Jesse! Hiiiii!" Flint yelled from on top of the playground, waving frantically to her. "Hello, Flint!" She called back, waving. Lukas laughed quietly from the park bench. _Aha, _Jesse thought, promptly collapsing onto the bench beside him.

"What's the occasion? You never invite me to the park!" Jesse complained. "It's- I- I just wanted to see you!" Lukas stuttered in reply. _There's no way he could tell her why he and his brother were actually at the park. _

"Oh- Umm- Thanks!" Jesse murmured, a blush creeping onto her face. Then Lukas realized something. _Oh no. She likes me, doesn't she?_


	5. Episode One-Chapter Five

**Chapter Five-What Do I Say To Her?**

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**Hi everyone! It's Delilah again XD This is the episode finale, so yeah! I feel really bad for making Lukas different in this AU then he is in my headcanon, but I have to progress the story somehow!**

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"Well, well, well," A sinister feminine voice hissed from behind the bench. "Oh! Maya!" Lukas exclaimed nervously, swinging his head around to meet the female ocelot's eyes. "Hey Flint!" She called to Lukas' brother, putting a hand up in greeting.

Then she turned back to Jesse, eyes narrowed. "What are _you _doing here?" She growled. "I- Uh- Lukas invited me!" She stammered, eyes fixated on her white tennis shoes. Maya didn't answer.

"H- Hey Maya? Can you give us a moment?" Lukas prompted, turning to Jesse. She glanced at him with raised eyebrows and red cheeks. "I guess," Maya grumbled, stalking off angrily.

Once Lukas was confident that Maya was gone, he murmured, "Hey… Jess?" "Hmm?" She replied, glancing up at him. "Umm… Do you like me?" "Wha-" Jesse shrieked, her face shaded a bright reddish hue. "You can tell me," he whispered, grabbing her hand and lacing his fingers through hers.

"Really?" "Yep," He answered, but his stomach was churning. _No way. There's no way she likes me. Right?_

"Y- Yeah. I do like you," Jesse suddenly confessed, letting go of his hand and sliding nervously to the other side of the bench. Lukas furrowed his brows, thinking, _of course. I should've known. But… Do __**I **__like her? _


End file.
